The Delhi High Court on Thursday permitted AAP leader and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to withdraw his petition challenging the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons issued to him in connection with the excise policy-linked money laundering case. The court dismissed the plea as withdrawn while keeping all legal questions open.
Appearing for Kejriwal, senior counsel told the bench that the petition would not be pursued further since the trial court had already acquitted him in cases related to his non-appearance before the ED. He added that constitutional issues would be raised at an appropriate stage if required.
A bench led by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia recorded the submission and passed the order allowing withdrawal of the petition.
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the ED, informed the court that the agency would challenge the trial court’s acquittal order in appeal.
On January 22, the trial court had acquitted Kejriwal in two cases filed over his failure to comply with ED summons, holding that the legality of service of summons could be questioned and that intentional disobedience was not established.
Kejriwal had approached the High Court after receiving multiple summons from the ED in 2024. He was later arrested and is currently on interim bail in the money laundering case. The Supreme Court has referred broader questions regarding the “need and necessity of arrest” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to a larger bench.
The ED alleges that the now-scrapped excise policy was framed to benefit certain accused persons and generate kickbacks for the Aam Aadmi Party. Kejriwal has denied the allegations and has also challenged certain PMLA provisions, claiming misuse of the law for political purposes.
